political oppression, eg Russian peasants, Jews. Potato famine in Ireland. General optimism about a largely empty land - many of those who left Europe (where most of the migrants came from) could hardly afford to own a shack, and ended up owning homes, even farms.

many parish councils paid the passage to ease the long term burden on the locl tax payers. it was the assisted passage that sent the majority of the Irish over there during the two periods of the mass exodus of Rural Ireland. many towns and villages in England had promoted the opportunities of the new world with promises of a future for entire families who were dependanrts of the parish.